Automatic machine for processing connecting wires

ABSTRACT

Automatic machine for processing electric connecting wires. The machine comprises the combination of a winding off unit, a marking unit, a length-measuring member, a stripping member, a transmission and feeding unit and a terminal-sleeve insertion unit. Pneumatic means control the cycle of the various units at a high rate and safety members provide a reliable operation.

ilnited States Patent lnventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee Priority Michel Thierri;

Pierre Toussaint, both of Amiens, Somme, France Dec. 16, 1969 Dec. 7, 1971 [1.8. Philips Corporation New York, N.Y.

Dec. 20, 1968 France AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR PROCESSING CONNECTING WIRES 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl

[5i] lnt.Cl H0ir43/04 [50] Field of Search 29/203 R, 203 DT, 203 D, 205, 407

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,455,006 7/1969 Reem et al Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-F rank R. Trifari ABSTRACT: Automatic machine for processing electric connecting wires. The machine comprises the combination of a winding ofi unit, a marking unit, a length-measuring member, a stripping member, a transmission and feeding unit and a terminal-sleeve insertion unit. Pneumatic means control the cycle of the various units at a high rate and safety members provide a reliable operation.

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lNVliN'lORS. MICHEL THIERRI PIERRE TOUSSAINT 20%, 2 AGE T AUTOMATIGMACIIINE FOR PROCESSING CONNECTING wums This invention relates to an automatic machine for processing connecting wires.

Automatic machines for cutting electric wires to length, for stripping the wire ends and for inserting pins or terminal sleeves have been known for years. Such machines, which are available in only a few types, are used effectively in mass production situations. .A change of the length to be cut or a change of the terminal type to be used, usually requires a shut down of the machine and a readjustment which is time consuming and costly. 7

Automatic machines are known which carry out separately each. of the above-mentioned operations: cutting to length, stripping, printing of marks for identifying the wires, insertion of the terminals, etc. Each of these machines carries out the relevant operation at a high rate. A change of the parameters such as the length of wire, the type of terminal, etc., can be readily carried out. Each of these machines constitutes a separate unit and therefore requires men for feeding and supervision.

The combination of these various machines in accordance with the operations required for obtaining a length of wire having marks and terminals is of limited interest only. The rates of operation of the machines are often different, the position in which they wire is delivered may be unsuitable for feeding into a further machine and a defect of one of the machines does not involve. the shut down of the other. Shut down of theother machines as a result of stopping one of them would be more desirable than not shutting down. When the other machines do not shut down there is a great accumulation of wires on them. A defect of one machine may require stopping various other machines, since the various operations yielding the ready product have to be carried out in a given order of succession.

The automatic machine according to the present invention combines a plurality of members adapted to cooperate to provide a ready product of defined features. The combination of these members for ensuring an uninterrupted sequence of operations has numerous advantages such as: higher production rate, reliability in operation, reduction of the cost price of the ready product.

The automatic machine for processing connecting wires in accordance with the invention is characterized by the combination of a supply unit, a wire winding-off unit whose speed is controllable by means of an electric member adjustable as a function of the tensile force exerted by the wire on a balance arm cooperating with the electric member, a marking unit comprising printing members controlled so that each length of wire is provided with at least one mark, a length-measuring and cutting member and a stripping unit. The length-measuring member comprises means which, subsequent to measuring a predetermined length of wire, starts the cutting and stripping cycle and the marking cycle. A transmission unit comprising a conveyor belt of constant, controllable speed, and a positioning member having means for controllable braking of the wire in accordance with the speed of the conveyor belt and the mass of the wire are also included. In addition, a guide-, holdingand ejection-members adapted to cooperate by means of a position checking device in accordance with a predetermined cycle are employed. The checking device also actuates, directly or indirectly, the measuring-cutting-stripping unit and the subsequent insertion unit. Each of the above-mentioned units includes means for stopping the machine in the event of abnormal operation.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the basic diagram of the machine;

FIGS. 24 and 2b show a wire unwinding unit of the machine;

FIG. 3 shows a known stripping member;

FIG. 4 shows a modified embodiment of the stripping member; and

FIG. 5 shows a transmission unit for feeding the lengths of wire to the insertion unit.

The automatic machine for processing connecting wires, comprises a number of units for carrying out operations in a given order of succession. The basic diagram of FIG. I shows the main units: a supply unit I, a wire unwinding unit 2 for winding off the wire from supply reels of the unit 1, a marking unit 3, a length-measuring, cutting and stripping unit 4, a transmission unit 5, an insertion unit 6.

The wire is supplied from a supply unit having two types of supply reels. Each reel for wires of small diameter is arranged on the stationary spindle of a frame and the turns of wire are delivered via the winding-off unit 2. The reels for wires of larger diameter bear on rollers, whilst the wire drawn on by the unwinding unit 2 causes the reel to rotate.

The supply unit may comprises a number of reels equal to the number of wires of difierent diameters to be processed.

Winding a wire ofi a reel often requires an excessively hightensilerforce, which cannot be supplied by the units for the further operations. It is, for example, not possible to use the driving rollers of the marking unit or measuring unit for winding off and feeding the wire, so that it is necessary to provide an unwinding unit 2.

Unit 2 exerts on the one hand sufficient tensile force to wind off the wire and on the other hand it feeds the subsequent units without the tensile forces to be overcome exceeding the force exerted by the weight of the wire.

FIGS. 2a and 2b show such an unwinding unit. The wire passes Ioopwise around a driving roller 8 on the shaft of a motor 7, which is fed through a speed control, the wire being urged by a pressure roller 9. The wire loop is formed and maintained by passing the wire around the disc 10 and 11. Then the wire passes along a disc 12, held by an arm 13 having a counterweight I4 and mounted on a shaft 15. This shaft, which is connected with the shaft of a potentiometer I6, is coupled with the speed control of the motor. Then the wire passes along a disc 17, the shaft of which is the same as that of the disc 11 and from this disc it passes along a disc 18 arranged on the shaft of the disc 12 and held by the arm 13. The wire is then passed to the next-following unit. Electric contacts l9 and 20 provided at each end of the maximum trajectory of the arm 13 serve for stopping the unwinding unit 2 and the other units of the machine. A tensile force exceeding a predetermined value and exerted by the driving rollers of the next-following unit causes the arm 13 to turn in the direction of the arrow X (FIG. 2a). The arm 13 moves the controlpotentiometer 16 in such a direction that the speed of the motor 1 is raised so that a greater length of wire is delivered. Conversely, if no wire or a smaller length of wire is required, and hence if the tensile force is lower than the predetermined value, the arm 13 turns in the direction opposite the arrow X so that the potentiometer 16 reduces the motor speed and stops the motor I.

The marks are applied to the wire by means of a known marking unit 3. One or more printing presses 21 are arranged in order of succession and the rhythm of printing is adjusted as a function of the desired lengths of wire. Safety members are arranged to stop the unit in the event of rupture of the printing tape of synthetic resin. These printing presses 21 comprise heated, movable dies carrying the marks. The printing tape travels between the wire and the die and is urged partly against the wire surface. The blank tape is unwound from a reel and delivered automatically. In view of the fragility of the tape the marking unit 3 requires double safety members for stopping the drive, i.e., for the event of rupture of the tape and at the termination of the tape. Photoelectric devices are provided for these two functions.

Measuring the lengths of wire, cutting and stripping are carried out in the same unit 4. This unit operates as follows: driving rollers 23 pass the wire along a measuring wheel 22, which determines the length of wire to be cut and which, by producing a pulse, controls the pneumatic system of the unit so that the wire can be stopped, held and stripped. After the accomplishment of these operations a stream of compressed air passes the cut, stripped wire to the outlet of the unit. The distance to be covered by the wire before it is free of the machine is comparatively large and the rate of ejection is difficult to regulate. A variant is used for incorporating this unit in the machine. A stripping unit of known type is shown in FIG. 3. The cutting head 30 comprises the cutters 31 and stripping cutters 32 located at a given distance from the cutters 31. These cutters operate while the wire is held by a clamp 33. After the wire and the sheath have been cut, a piston 34 of a cylinder (not shown) connected with the clamp 33 displaces the wire in the direction of the arrow Y so that the length of wire is stripped wholly or partly between the cutters 31 and 32. The positions of the clamp 33 and of the piston 34 do not permit of releasing the wire rapidly because the piston 34 is in line with the clamp 33 and coaxial to the wire, the latter passing through the piston.

FIG. 4 shows the variant used. 7

A piston in a cylinder 34' is arranged on a console 35 in a manner such that it is located at the side of the clamp 33 and parallel to the wire. The clamp 33 is provided at the end of a bracket 36, which is adapted to move about a stationary shaft 37, which is fastened to the console 35. The piston in the cylinder 34' acts upon the other end 38 of the bracket 36.

Means responding to the pulse produced by the measuring wheel 22 and arranged for starting the cycle of the unit 4 check the cycle of the marking unit 3.

The transfer and the positioning of the wire relative to a terminal sleeve inserting unit 6 are carried out by a unit 5 of the kind disclosed in applicant's copending US. application Ser. No. 885,540 filed on Dec. 16, 1969. This transmission unit 5 comprises an endless conveyor belt A, driven with constant speed, and a brake and wire-holding device B. The wire moved with accurately defined speed gets, at the end of the belt A, into a guide C which cooperates with a brake shoe D.

The pressure exerted by the brake shoe D on the guide C is determined so that the end of the wire occupies a very accurately defined position for the next-following insertion unit 6. A tubular jet nozzle operates to eject the wire and releases the transmission unit 5 and the insertion unit 6 for a new cycle. The insertion unit 6 is formed by a group of automatic insertion presses G of known type. The presses G, whose number is equal to the conventional number of terminal sleeves or pins, are arranged on a rotatable support. A locking member of the support permits of positioning the insertion press with the sleeves H required in line with the transmission unit 5.

At the termination of the insertion operation the ejecting member of the transmission unit 5 becomes operative and throws the length of wire provided with the terminal I-! into a trough in which the wires are suitably arrayed.

The control of the machine is illustrated in the basic dia gram of FIG. 1.

At the initiation of a cycle, after the supply reel with the desired wire is selected in the supply unit 1, the end of the wire is passed sequentially along the driving rollers and discs of the unwinding unit 2 as follows: disc 10, loopwise along the driv' ing roller 8, disc 11, disc 12, discs 17 and 18. Then the wire is guided into the path towards the marking unit 3. The wire is wound off by means of the motor 7 of variable speed (FIG. 2).

The motor speed is automatically determined as a function of the rate of delivery so that the tension of the wire in the marking unit 3 is very low. This tensile force is controlled by thecounterweight 14 of the arm 13 with the discs 12 and 18. At a change of the tensile force on the wire the arm turns in one direction or the other and actuates directly the potentiometer 16 of the electric supply voltage of the motor.

At an increase in tensile force the motor speed increases and the arm turns in the direction of the arrow X (FIGS. 2a) and occupies a central position. At a decrease in tensile force the arm turns in the other direction and the resultant turn of the potentiometer reduces the motor speed. When the stock reel is blocked or if the unwinding unit is stopped, no wire is delivered so that the turn of the arm 13 exceeds the position corresponding to the maximum permissible tensile force and actuates an electric contact 20. If no wire is present on the stock reel, the arm 13 is no longer in balance and comes into contact with an electric contact 19 in an extreme position. Closure of the contacts causes through a relay system stopping of the motor 7 of the unwinding unit 2 and stopping of the further units of the machine.

The wire passed through the marking unit 3 and the measuring-cutting-stripping unit 4 is subjected to a number of operations.

The desired length of wire is set on the dial of the measuring member of the unit 4. The wire is moved by a driving roller 23, which cooperates with the measuring wheel 22. The driving roller 23, connected with the piston of a pneumatic cylinder is movable, whereas the measuring wheel 22 is rigidly journaled. The counter of the measuring wheel 22 produces, when a predetermined length of wire is reached,'a pulse which controls on the one hand the cutting and stripping members and on the other hand the marking unit 3. The pulse causes the printing die 21 to move downwards onto the wire in a rhythm corresponding with that of the wire cutting member. In this way each length of wire cut and stripped is marked, that is to say once.

The marking unit 3 comprises safety members for indicating the termination of the printing tape and rupture of the tape. These safety members, which are connected to the relay system, control the stop of all units of the machine. The pulse received by the cutting and stripping members causes the wire to be tightly clamped by clamps 33 arranged on either side of the cutting head 30, after which the cutters 31 of the cutting member and the cutters 32 of the stripping member are moved downwards, while the clamps 33 pull on the wire for removing the loosened sheath portions from the wire. During this cycle the driving roller 23 occupies such a low position that it does not carry on the wire. Subsequently, the clamps 33 release the length of wire so that a new cycle can start. Directly beneath the clamp 33 connected with the cylinder 34 a conveyor belt A, forming part of the transmission unit 5, conveys the length of wire with a given, constant speed by means of a motor having an electric speed control. The supply circuit of the motor is connected to the relay system and is interrupted when one of the safety members of the machine becomes operative. The speed of the conveyor belt A is controlled in accordance with the length and the diameter of the wire.

The transmission unit (FIG. 5), arranged after the conveyor belt A, comprises a guide C, a brake shoe D and a clamping element E. These elements are connected with control-cylinders pneumatically energized. The brake shoe D, cooperating with the guide C, is capable of braking the wire and of holding it in an accurately defined position. This position is obtained with very great accuracy by introducing compressed air into the control-cylinder of the brake shoe D, the pressure being kept at a very accurately determined value. When the wire has reached this position, a photocell F detects its presence and governs, by means of an electric switch, a pneumatic logical system which actuates the insertion unit 6, releases the brake shoe D, lifts the guide C and the clamping element E and finally ejects the wire.

A time control accommodated in the transmission unit 5 governs with a time period leading to the ejection, the supply of a new length of wire to the cutting and stripping unit 4. The length of wire thus has covered a large portion of the distance between the unit 4 and the unit 5 at the instant of termination of the ejection.

The clamping element E of the unit 5 releases the wire simultaneously with the ejection, that is to say at the instant of the upward movement of the guide C. A jet of compressed air from the tubular jet nozzle blows away the wire immediately after the insertion press moves upwardly. The length of the jet nozzle may be adapted to the length of wire by closing a number of apertures with the aid of sliding rings.

The supply of a new wire with a time lead with respect to the ejection to the conveyor belt, whose length is equal to the maximum length of the wires to be processed, permits of processing very short lengths of wire without dead periods.

in; dear The insertion unit 6 comprises a press G having a terminal sleeve or pin feeding member, and safety members which become operative when supply is lacking or abnormal. These safety members cause via the relay system the other units of the machine to stop.

The cooperation between the various elements of the machine with the pneumatic, electronic or mechanical units as described above provides a fully automatic machine of high efficiency.

Such a machine has a capacity of 4,200 connecting wires of 0.73 m. an hour. The lateral ejection by a jet of compressed air of the wires provided with connecting terminals or pins permits of arranging the wires neatly so that entanglement of the wires is avoided. This kind of ejection permits in addition a second conveying member to take up the wires for delivery to a further unit for some further process.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic machine for processing connecting wires comprising the combination of a wire supply unit, a windingoff unit whose winding-oft" speed is controllable by means of an electric member adjustable in accordance with the tensile arm exerted by the wire on a balance arm, adapted to cooperate with the electric member, a marking unit comprising printing members controlled so that each length of wire is provided with at least one, a length measuring-cuttingstripping unit whose length measuring member comprises means for causing the cutting and stripping cycle and the marking cycle to start after a predetermined length of wire has been measured, a transmission and feeding unit comprising a conveyor belt of constant controllable speed, an adjusting unit comprising means for adjustably braking the wire in accordance with the speed of the conveyor belt and the mass of the wire and guide, holding and ejection members adapted to cooperate by means of a position checking device in accordance with a predeten'nined cycle, the checking device actuating in addition directly or indirectly the measuringcutting-stripping unit and the subsequent insertion unit, each unit comprising means for stopping the machine in the event of an abnormal operation.

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1. An automatic machine for processing connecting wires comprising the combination of a wire supply unit, a winding-off unit whose winding-off speed is controllable by means of an electric member adjustable in accordance with the tensile arm exerted by the wire on a balance arm, adapted to cooperate with the electric member, a marking unit comprising printing members controlled so that each length of wire is provided with at least one, a length measuring-cutting-and stripping unit whose length measuring member comprises means for causing, the cutting and stripping cycle and the marking cycle to start after a predetermined length of wire has been measured, a transmission and feeding unit comprising a conveyor belt of constant controllable speed, an adjusting unit comprising means for adjustably braking the wire in accordance with the speed of the conveyor belt and the mass of the wire and guide, holding and ejection members adapted to cooperate by means of a position checking device in accordance with a predetermined cycle, the checking device actuating in addition directly or indirectly the measuring-cutting-stripping unit and the subsequent insertion unit, each unit comPrising means for stopping the machine in the event of an abnormal operation. 